Slice’s refusal to over-commit coupled with Alexander’s similarly themed cage-circling left many fans to wonder exactly what it was they were watching.

At the evening’s post-event press conference, Slice told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) precisely what it was: the former streetfighter’s maturation as a mixed martial artist.

“If I would have went in there foolishly, I would have got knocked out,” Slice said. “It wasn’t difficult to stay patient, but I was like, ‘Come on, man.’

“A few times, I called him out. I had to call out his name. I had to say some things in that ring, like, ‘Let’s do this,’ in so many words. I reverted back to the streets a little bit, verbally. But he didn’t engage. He stuck to his plan. I said, ‘Well, I’m not going to be foolish and run up on him. I’m going to be a smart fighter, as well.'”

It’s certainly a different approach than Slice’s previous efforts. But the 35-year-old has been full of surprises as of late, and Slice executed both takedowns and a submission attempt in his bout with Alexander.

“I’m not going to say I was in my comfort zone (on the ground),” Slice said. “But I knew a few things, enough to where we were able to get back up. I tried a little ground and pound here and there.

“When I took his back, I was going for a choke hold. I was going to go for the rear-naked or 10-finger choke. When I realized I didn’t have it as good and he turned into me, I just went ahead and tried to look for something else. … I didn’t want to exert a whole lot of energy on a hold that I knew wasn’t guaranteed. So I just said, ‘OK, I’ve got to let the hold go, but be smart about it and either work for something else, look for something else or get back on my feet and bang it out.'”

As the fight carried on, the crowd became restless. As spatters of boos poured in from the crowd, Slice admitted he had to fight back his natural instincts to recklessly attack.

“That was hard,” Slice said. “I was really thinking street; I did for a minute. But I had to bite down. Someone told me before, ‘Bite down hard and fight smart.’ I bit down hard, and I just stayed smart with what I knew. It’s hard. I’m not going to lie.

“It’s not an easy thing because I first was a streetfighter, and being a streetfighter, there was no training in my style of fighting. I just went in there basically with my instincts, watching the guy’s movement, and countering him. But at this level of the game, and as a professional fighter in the UFC, you have to be like genius-type smart because you have all these dimensions you have to ball in one. You’ve got to know when to counter and when to not hit, when to not engage and try to wait it out.”

Slice and Alexander both tired as time wore on, but each stuck to their original gameplan. When the final bell sounded, only the second round – a clear win for Slice – produced easily predictable scores. But as the final tallies were read, Slice had done enough to earn the unanimous-decision nod.

The win kept Slice in the UFC mix for at least one more fight, and as a proven ratings draw, Spike TV will undoubtedly look for a return visit from the slugger to their airwaves. And while the bout didn’t deliver on the fireworks many had expected, Slice said it delivered him something far more important: victory.

“The goal was to come in and fight and to get the best training I could possibly get and be prepared for a standup or a ground game,” Slice said. “Whether the fight goes to the ground or standup, I’m going to come in and fight but be smart about it. You have to be smart about it at this level of the game.

“I would have preferred to knock him out, … but it went the way it went. You’ve got to be happy with a victory, regardless of how it comes.”

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